Independence
by wolfseer4life33
Summary: Continued Birthday Fic. It's the night before Iceland's birthday and he's reminiscing with the two creatures who have stuck through it all. Through the pain, through the famines, they are the hardy animals that dared to live with him. Dared the live through the Nordics torture. Dared to love him like a brother. And most importantly, convinced him to be free.
1. Happy Birthday

_**Warnings: implied abuse and rape though nothing explicit therefore; this is a high T fic or maybe an M, depends on your psyche. In the modern world, the old ratings kind of fly out the window.  
**_

_**Disclaimer: Don't own don't ban.**_

* * *

_**Independence **_

June 16. A day normally dedicated to cramming for finals or relaxing on the beach. However, for Iceland, it meant the day before the day he was finally free from imperialism. The day before Icelandic Independence Day.

The nation was currently at the top of one of his many waterfalls. Most people were at home for it was quite late at night. Iceland had spent the day celebrating with them on the upcoming holiday, cheering; laughing in a way most of the other personifications would have a heart attack if they ever heard it. Now, with the night sky clear and the moon shining, Iceland allowed himself to simply reminisce. An arctic fox was perched on his lap and his puffin was snuggled onto his shoulder.

"What are you thinking about Sjor?" the fox asked. His fur was silver and white, much like the moon and his coal black eyes seemed to weigh his master.

"Old memories Emil," Iceland smiled at the irony. His real name, Sjor, was only used by animals. Humans used his fox's name when referring to him, Emil. His puffin had named the fox, if only to annoy him with the meaning.

"Ah, I see," Emil looked at the stars, "If you allow me to say so Sjor, I think the rest of the Nordics are not your family."

"In some ways they aren't," Iceland consented, "Culturally we're close, and our people are close. But as nations, we seem so far away."

"Its cause up until the last eight decades they really didn't see you as a person I think Sjor," his puffin spoke this time without his mafia persona.

"No, I don't believe I was a person to them until now, Hildr," the puffin nipped Iceland's ear lobe out of annoyance or affection, the nation wasn't sure. Perhaps it was both.

Silence. Each one of the creatures sitting on this rocky outlook, watching the stars go by and listening to the winds and rush of water cascading down from a terrific height. Magical would be one word, amazing would be another. Maybe, just maybe, it was perfect.

"Remember how I used to have to send you two out for food?" Iceland asked suddenly. The two nodded slowly. They sensed that their master wanted to talk so they let him pour his words onto them. Words meant Iceland's emotions.

"I remember…I remember how I used to starve every day. Denmark and Norway would place me at the table all tied and gagged like a prisoner and then they'd eat. Sometimes they'd have whole feasts just to torture me. I remember the night Sweden and Finland left. That night I left the doors unlocked, the barn unlocked, two horses ready with directions to a safe house. I asked for friendship from them and any other country they would meet. Look at the way it is now, I'm invisible to them. I haven't gotten a letter back in centuries yet even though Denmark would beat me for sending them. All they care about now is their perfect little family. The Baltics hardly notice me either and I recognized them first of all the countries. I was the first to give them another chance. Why hasn't anything gotten better for me? It's selfish I know but is it too much to ask to have a friend? A good honest friend just once? I suppose no one wants to be my friend though." Iceland let out a humorless laugh, his eyes swimming with tears as he hugged Emil and Hildr closer.

"You'll always have us Sjor," Emil said quietly.

"I know, you two are like the brothers I should have had," Iceland's face was bittersweet; "It's so painful at times though. I can't take either of you to places like the movies and amusement parks. Both of you have given so much…why can't my kind do the same?"

"I don't know," Hildr said honestly, "For puffins all we ask for is good fishing, a nice mate, kids, a colony to protect us and nothing else." Hildr shrugged, "Some of us don't even get all of that but we're still happy. We're still whole. You humans are so cruel to each other."

"Cruel…" Iceland echoed trailing off. Emil glared at Hildr who looked immediately apologetic. All three of them remembered human cruelty.

* * *

_The crack of whips, the squeaking of devices, the insane laughter of a particular Dane. _

_The hiss of snakes, the crackling of fire, the sound of a spell from a certain Norwegian. _

_Punches and kicks meeting flesh and bone, the silence of a Swede. _

_Quiet horror, soundless screams, useless Finn who hadn't stood up for that one. _

_The one on the ground, moaning from the kicks, writhing from the flames, screaming at every squeak when the iron tightened and stretched the all too frail body. Each bone jutting out, each eye begging for an end, mouth pleading for the 'family' to stop. _

_Hunger, the demon, working through the one on the ground. Blood on the wooden floor. The defeated one would clean it later. Silver hair stained. Lungs barely breathing. Death. life. Death. life. Death, and then life again. The boy flickered in and out of each realm like a candle being constantly blown out and relit. Faces of horrified islands, faces of insane sadists. Faces of his only brothers… _

_"Sjor! Sjor!" He heard them cry as they were taken and boiled alive. He cried then, tears rolling down his cheeks as he tried to reach them but they were too far away. Cries, cries of an animal dying. Sobbing, sobbing of their master. Laughing, laughing of their tormentors. _

_Would this hell ever end?_

_The face of a self-declared brother. Pain, pain, pain! Oh constant pain the tormentor of all mankind! Screams, shouts, howls, begs, pleas, nothing works on this man. He plunders the boy, defiles and taints the purity he had tried so hard to cling onto. Blood on snow. Red. Red. Red. One of the boy's eyes is left in this color._

* * *

"Sjor?" Emil asked tentatively. His master had suddenly started crying, burying his face in the fox's fur. Emil noticed Sjor's right eye had turned lava red and sighed, nuzzling the teen in hopes of comforting him from _that_ particular memory. Hildr was not as sharp as Emil but he wasn't idiotic. He offered a piece of licorice to Sjor who nibbled on it, the sweetness countering the saltiness on his face.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

"Never be, none of this is your fault," Hildr said fiercely, "It's that stupid snarky guy's fault! And the loud mouth, chatterbox and zombie!"

"I never understood your nicknames," Emil quips and Sjor manages a shaky laugh at Hildr's affronted expression.

"That's stupid Foxy! Use that brain you're so proud of!"

"My name is Emil…you made the name, use it."

"Why you-" they're cut off by the weak chuckling of Sjor and they look at each other sheepishly.

"Let's not think about those things," Emil decides, "Let's think about other people. What about that lady who saved one of your falls? Or the chess masters you're so proud of? I know you like to wrestle; we should go to another competition sometime, just for fun. We can go down to the beaches or one of the islands and just camp out. Like old times."

"Yes! We can get away from everything, no politics, no stupid nations, let's go Sjor!"

"Okay, in the morning we'll leave."

"Why morning?"

"Don't you think we should enjoy this night you stupid puffin."

"Oh alright, shut up Emil you're smirking. I know you are" They all laughed as they continued to enjoy the night. Stars seemed to be twinkling especially bright that night and some of them appeared to be different colors. Blues, reds, yellows; even greens appeared in the night sky. A stray comet streaked across the sky right before the sun rose. Sjor hadn't even realized that much time had passed.

"You deserve to be free Sjor," Hildr said as the sun rose, "After everything, Norway, Denmark, Turkey, England, really you deserve it."

"I don't know...it's not easy, I've already had an economic crash." Iceland was afraid. Afraid that his independence would not last because of incompetence. Afraid that he would be too reliant on other countries and become part of them as his identity slipped away.

"Everyone does at some point, don't let it get you down Sjor." Emil urged.

"I know...still, I'm scared."

"That's why we're here," Hildr countered neatly, "When you get scared we're here to remind you that we are part of what makes this island unique. There is a difference between us and other versions of our species and that alright. The important thing is that we remain free, one of a kind, and ourselves. None of them are allowed to fully control us because if they did that then they would be black marked in the history books forever. Have faith Sjor. Stay free, you can do this. You can be alone and make your own decisions. You're not the Nordic's little child. You're a strong, independent young human and I'm proud to call you my brother." The sun was nearly in the sky now, Sjor could see it peaking behind one of his volcanoes. The roar of geysers reached his ears, the smell of untainted air encircled the group, white Dryas were blooming. It was as if Mother Earth had decided that for one moment, Sjor, the personification of Iceland could be free with the ones he loved. Bringing the puffin, annoying, obnoxious, cliche, lovable bird and the fox, silent, sarcastic, distant and adorable close...Iceland felt complete.

"Happy birthday Sjor" Emil whispered or perhaps it was the wind. Untamed, unalterable, unconstrained. That was Iceland.

_**A/N: Experimenting by putting the notes below the story rather than before. Ok, name meanings. Sjor=sea, Emil=rival, Hildr=strong. I never really liked the name 'Emil' for Iceland after I found out about the meeting so I gave it to my OC fox Emil instead. Iceland's foxy companion came to life when I was doing some research on Iceland for a happy birthday fic. Apperently Arctic foxes are the only native mammal to Iceland which I thought was significant to I created Emil to be a 'rival' of sorts and a balancing character between Iceland and Mr. Puffin. Mr. Puffin sounds childish and while Iceland does look young, he's old enough to pick a tough name besides, the puffin probably likes it given his attitude. I imagine that Iceland has a significant amount of dislike for the other Nordics and given their Viking habits, a great deal of sensitive topics came to life in this fic. Also, I set the day back one because of a personal tradition in my family of waking up around three in the morning to shout 'happy birthday'! I wanted Iceland to get a happy birthday before any of the other nations got to say it to him. This is a oneshot however, I might start adding chapters because I'd like to get more in depth with the secret persona I created for Iceland.  
**_


	2. Dealing with the Rest of the World

_**A/N: Last tidbit before I go on a quick hiatus. I'll be back in a week and post the Seychelles chapter but I'm hitting my limit...In this continuation Iceland's 'siblings' are once-Nordic owned or currently-Nordic Islands. Greenland, Faroe, Aland, Shetland and Orkney are all mentioned though only Greenland, Aland and Faroe get any lines. I need to contact another author to see if I'm allowed to incorporate Shetland and Orkney later. Moving on, Icelandic Economic Crash and the Cod Wars are mentioned, both of which are notable points in Iceland's history and probably part of the highlights of it's time as a republic. The President of Iceland is also mentioned...hope I don't offend anyone with my depiction of him. I live in America ok...we don't know anything about him other than that he's served over two terms. There will be another note at the end so I don't end up spoiling the story. **_

_**Disclaimer: Don't own unfortunately. Then again, the fun would probably get taken out...**_

Mornings in Iceland's home were never quite the same each day but generally, the nation got up at around six in the morning. Depending on how late he had stayed up doing paperwork, reading, watching a late show or surfing the internet, Iceland could either get up right away or take up to fifteen minutes and a puffin attack to get out of bed. The Icelandic nation was not a morning person and often tripped while making his way to the bathroom to take a quick shower before changing into his work clothes and brushing his teeth. From there he would cook breakfast and make a strong cup of coffee for himself and his two familiars. Sometimes, Greenland, Faroe, Aland or one of the other islands would stay with him for the night but those visits were rather sporadic and not planned most of the time. When other nations visited they tended to stay in hotels so only Iceland's younger island counterparts saw the interior of his home.

It was a snug, quaint little home just outside of Reykjavik. Iceland had no neighbor which wasn't particularly unusual for his country and he enjoyed the solitude. Solitude was a friendly companion, it allowed his mind to wander and create the impossible without judging him. The house was painted a soft blue and the walls inside were stark white. A few ancient paintings hung on the walls but most of the wall decorations were photographs of the Icelandic scenery. Waterfalls, emerald pastures, fields of lava, all of them were splashes of color to the white background. The name 'Iceland' would make the place seem cold and empty but really it was a vibrant country full of color…if you dared to look beyond.

The furniture was actually made by Iceland himself. He was no Sweden but each table, cabinet, chairs, door, bed even the sofa, complete with stuffing and pillows was built by his own work and stylized to suit his taste. Elegant yet efficient. Various gifts-that weren't thrown out or distasteful-decorated the tables. Japan had given him some porcelain during one of their whaling meetings, the plates were locked up in a special cabinet and the vases held White Dryas-dried and fresh. America had given him a TV and some good movies with Icelandic subtitles after a NATO meeting. Iceland couldn't fathom the generosity but he didn't complain. Estonia had given him a laptop that was humming away in his office. It was an unusually high quality computer; Iceland suspected Estonia had help on making it for the internet was surprisingly fast. Outside of that though, the house was completely Icelandic, Icelandic recipes in the kitchen, the wood that was used to make the furniture was from his old forests, the Icelandic flag waved outside and was the pattern of his bed sheets, and the only flowers, were white Dryas, the national flower of Iceland.

"Someone is remarkably proud of their independence," Emil had remarked when he had first seen the plans Iceland drew up for the house which earned him a halfhearted swat.

This morning, Iceland didn't sleep in his bed; he had been up all night watching the stars. Quickly stuffing in enough clothes for a week, a phone just in case, his wallet and his camp pack (which contained a sleeping bag, canned food, matches, a flashlight, tack and a fishing rod poking out).

"Olafur? I'm going to be out this week. I know its short notice. Yes the paperwork is done. It is to _that_ place. Thank you, yes I will send Hildr if you need anything. I'll see you soon."

"Are we good to go Sjor?" Hildr flapped his wings anxiously before perching on Iceland's extended arm.

"Yeah, boss says he can give us a week. If anything goes wrong he can call me or you can fly back and let me know," Hildr nodded in agreement and nipped Iceland's ear.

"Is the tent in the car?" Emil asked.

"Always, too much work to lug it in and out of the house," the two familiars snickered at Iceland's refusal to bring the tent inside the house. Part of it came from being too lazy, the other came from the fact that it allowed him to escape to the wilderness whenever the Nordics became unbearable.

* * *

Their destination was one of many of Iceland's uninhabited islands. Using a speed boat, Iceland would camp for a week or more with his familiars. On occasion he would bring one of his siblings, Greenland, Faroe, Aland, Shetland or Orkney but never any of the Nordics. The ritual of packing up hastily and calling his boss at sometimes obscene hours was a normal one, happened around once a year. Olafur might not be the best president but he was kind to the personification, he had stuck with him during the economic crisis. By statistics, it was the worse crash in history once proportions to the Icelandic economy and the debt was taken into account. Countries sent aid, that was true and he was grateful for it but most of the battle had been in his own home. The Nordics visited him as did Germany, England and Netherlands but only his people and familiars got him through it.

His people protested had but it was nothing compared to England and Netherlands once they found out. England in particular was outraged and prodding him about the Cod Wars wasn't the smartest move Iceland made. On the other hand, he had been running on an abnormally high fever so he probably wasn't thinking straight. Netherlands had been angry too but death glares were easier for Iceland to overcome than British swearing. He had centuries of practice after all. Germany had been grave and complained but at least he left a rather nice cheesecake for the Icelander after threatening him that if he told anyone he would sic North Italy on him. After reassuring him that he would not say a word, Iceland started working out new plans to revive his country. Some people called it one of the most remarkable turnarounds in history though the other countries would grumble that if he hadn't been so irresponsible it wouldn't have happened. As if he could control his country! What was he, an emperor? He merely represented the people, not the government.

Sjor thought about this as he drove to the docks. Was it really completely his fault, the country? The government was such a small minority but reckless investment from the people also threw his economy into a downward spiral. He himself though, Sjor Erickson, was a careful, quiet, secretive man who had never personally owed any debt. So was it Sjor's fault that his economy was down or was it Iceland's fault. Could both really exist in the same body? Emil nipped his hand sharply before giving him a forget-about-it look.

And so he did.

* * *

The island he had chosen this time was a quiet one with only the sound of waves lapping against the rocks and the cries of seabirds above. A few odd trees stuck out but for the most part, it was open field. Smiling softly, the republic began to set up camp while Emil chased Hildr around, yapping and screeching.

"Give it back you thief!" Emil was referring to the necklace with the Icelandic flag as a dog tag that Sjor had given the fox in case he got picked up by authorities with his constant coming and going out of their shared home. He was truly a free spirit, like air. Sometimes when Iceland left him and Hildr with South Italy-Iceland would freely admit that the swearing country was not an ideal babysitter-he would go hunting with the Italian Wolves. The Mediterranean nation was one of the few who never gave Iceland pitying or belittlement…probably because he had received the same treatment for so long but it was…nice? Nice was a clean way of putting it. It didn't hurt that Hildr really liked him either so to South Italy they went when Sjor couldn't stand them anymore. All siblings need a break from each other. Those who do not agree with that are lying or unusual.

"Never!" the puffin screeched cheerfully…a little too cheerfully before he nearly face planted into a tree, "Gah!"

"That's what you get you stupid puffin!"

"What was that you furball?!"

"You heard me?"

"Now, now children let's not fight we're supposed to get along."

"SJOR!" Iceland held his hands up defensively before hightailing it as far away as possible. Tent and camp forgotten, they ran around slipping in some parts which was normally accompanied by swearing but it was a grand time. Grass as soft and tough as wool wrapped the three in an earthy hug of sorts once Sjor got tackled down by Emil and followed after by Hildr. Rolling down a hill like children, giggling wildly, unrestrainedly. A small creek bubbled merrily to their antics and the snow, not quite melted yet seemed to cast a final glimmer before being muddied by their play fighting.

"Surrender!" Sjor gloated as he finally managed to get on top of both of his brothers.

"Not fair, you're larger than us," Hildr complained.

"Yes and you two doubled teamed me," Sjor pulled the puffin's head feathers, "We're even."

"No way! Rematch!"

"You are so on."

"…I don't get a say in this do I."

"What was your first clue foxy?"

"…Just for that you are so going to get the cold corner of the tent."

"Hey!"

* * *

It had been five days since Iceland had mysteriously left. Norway frowned. It was unlike his little brother to leave on a holiday especially right after his independence day. Normally the teen would be cursing as he procrastinated on whatever work he had abandoned in favor of celebrating his freedom from the Nordics. Norway scoffed at the thought slightly, Iceland could never be free from them; he needed them. His economic crash proved that.

"Any luck?" Denmark asked. All of the other Nordics shook their heads. It was unlike Iceland to miss a Nordic Council; he had come with a raging fever in the past but still insisted on presenting.

"It's strange, like he disappeared off the planet," Finland muttered.

"Th't's impossible," Sweden replied, "He h's to be somewhere."

"Did anyone try calling his cell?"

"…does Icey have a cell?"

"Only for emergencies, what about his boss?"

"All he said was that Iceland arranged a vacation at the last minute…"

"That sounds like him."

"Aw Norway, you do care!"

"Shut up you stupid Dane."

* * *

"Should we tell them?" Greenland asked her siblings who were as usual, absolutely invisible to the other Nordics. Maybe they should hang out with Canada and make a club…

"Iceland needs a break, I don't know how he puts up with all five of them," Faroe picked absently at a piece of wood, "I thought Norway and Denmark were bad but throw the other two into the mix? Pure chaos."

"I'm with you on that one Faroe," Aland agreed, "Iceland might be free but he's looked worse for wear because of it."

"The other Nordics still don't notice?"

"Iceland can be remarkably inconspicuous when he wants to."

"And he knows how to use make up…or he blackmailed Ireland into giving him a concealing spell"

"I would like to think it's the latter Faroe, the first is a little creepy."

"I agree."

"…should we call up Shetland and Orkney?"

"No, still in recovery unfortunately."

"Is it safe to ask Ireland?"

"…probably not."

"…we're just going to leave them aren't we?"

"Yes, pass the popcorn will you?"

* * *

One week later Iceland arrived back safely in Reykjavik. His boss welcomed him back and got him a cocoa before handing him a pile of paperwork. Choosing to swear out of earshot Iceland started working on reading each report with little interest. The office was littered with these sheets and his laptop would have to handle an overtime use…again. Iceland toyed with the idea of buying a cooling pad after he managed to swim out of this sea of papers, ink and…

"Ring! Ring! Ring!" Groaning, Iceland resigned himself to what would undoubtedly be a Nordic bashing.

"Iceland? Finally! Where were you this week!? Your boss said not to worry about it but couldn't you have at least told us?" Ah Finland. The mother hen. Finland had caused the least amount of harm out of the Nordics at the same time; he had also never made a move to change Iceland's treatment so the Icelandic teen was still cold to him.

"So I'm not allowed to have time to myself Finland," Iceland said in a half bored half sharp tone, "Would it kill you guys to let me have a vacation?"

"Little brother," Norway's voice, "Answer the question. Where were you this week?"

"Yeah Icey! We want to know!"

"I'm not telling you anything," Iceland rubbed his temples, "I have a pile of paperwork and my laptop is going to combust in the next few hours. Don't call me back or I swear I'll rip out the land line." With that he slammed the telephone down, unplugged it the charger, and stuffed the phone in the closet for good measure.

"Someone's not in a good mood," Hildr smirked (can puffins smirk?).

"Don't push it," Emil groaned. His legs were _still_ sore.

* * *

The Nordic council which was to be held in Oslo this time around was dreaded deeply by Iceland. The meeting would be dedicated to Norway and Finland bugging him and Denmark and Sweden fighting. Guess who would have to do all the work while they were at it. If you guessed Iceland, you would be right. He might be the youngest but he was damn sure he had to work the hardest not only to survive but also to fix his economy, deal with NATO, try not to piss England off more than he already had…it wasn't easy!

"Icey you showed!"

"Hn."

"Iceland! Oh my gosh I was so worried!"

"Little brother…"

"Yeah, yeah," Iceland shrugged them off, "Aren't we supposed to be talking about the EU?"

"Aw c'mon Icey! We haven't seen you in forever!" Denmark slung an arm around the young republic, grinning broadly and somehow holding his beer cup in his other hand.

"One month isn't a long time Denmark." Iceland pointedly threw his arm off and took his seat, looking over the papers. His people weren't sure about the EU…he had to check those figures again…

"Will you please tell us where you were?" Finland pleaded. His eyes were wide and worried. Iceland almost felt bad but his anger for being treated like a child took over.

"No, you're not my mother Finland." Iceland snapped sharply making Finland flinch, "Why don't you go play with Sealand if you want to baby someone."

"Don't t'lk to Finn like that." Sweden admonished, glaring down at the Icelandic teen.

"Does it look like I care Sweden? You guys are supposed to be more mature than me." Iceland held his gaze levelly, unflinchingly which wasn't a small feat.

"Cut out that attitude little brother." Norway chided. Iceland glared at him as if he were the last person he wanted to see. Norway probably was actually…

"For the millionth time, I'm not your damn little brother." Iceland growled and tried to focus on the papers, _EU is busy keeping Greece, Spain, Portugal and Ireland out of debt…might want to wait until there's a permanent solution…_

"Big brother, big brother, big brother," Norway chanted with his creepy troll right behind Iceland. He might not see as well as his brother but he felt its presence which only made him snap. _If he were my damn brother, he'd leave me alone! _

"That's it, I'm leaving. Screw all of you."

"Aw Icey, we were just teasing. No need to get so angry!" Set and Match.

"I'm done with all of you!" Iceland nearly screamed before grabbing the papers and slamming the door shut after storming out.

* * *

Ran, oh how he ran! It was as if something demonic was after him. Bewildered pedestrians could only wonder what on earth the strange haired boy was running from. It certainly wasn't police; the sirens would have been sounded.

He called his sister Faroe once he neared the harbor. He dare not take a plane…Norway could track that easily but a boat on the other hand…that was much harder.

"Iceland? Aren't you at the council?"

"The council is useless Faroe," Iceland retorted before sighing, "Can I crash at your place tonight? It's too late to go back to Iceland."

"Alright brother," Faroe said sweetly which made Iceland feel bad for snapping at her, "Greenland is also here, would you like to talk to him?"

"Yes please," Iceland said gratefully as he walked to the harbor. There were still a few boats leaving for Faroe. Paying the fee he hopped on a boat, not really caring what it looked like.

"Iceland?" Greenland said over the phone, "Something the matter?"

"The fact that I'm not allowed a vacation and am practically babied," Iceland rolled his eyes as the sea air filled his soul, calming him down a bit, "I know you guys get it too but-"

"You have a country and international affairs, we just have local things," Greenland leaned back in his chair, "I know. The meetings I have about scientific whatever aren't what you call productive."

"I know…" Iceland sighed, "I swear I'm going to need another vacation after this."

"Good luck Iceland…"

* * *

A/N: Ok I know it was a cliffy but honestly I had to end it...it was really dragging on me so expect another chapter this summer. I'm going to be out of the country for a while so if I don't contact you or post at odd hours you know why...Thank you for your continued support!


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